Liquid-tight device for pairs of rollers forming a trough-shaped reservoir



Dec. 30, 1952 J. DUNGLER 2,623,377

LIQUID'TIGHT DEVICE FOR PAIRS OF ROLLERS FORMING A TROUGH-SHAPED RESERVOIR Filed Jan. 6, 1949 m VEWOR'.

N UNGLER Patented Dec. 30, 1952 LIQUID-TIGHT DEVICE FOR PAIRS OF ROLL- ERS FORMING A TROUGH-SHAPED RES- ERVOIR Julien Dungler, Basel, Switzerland Application January 6, 1949, Serial No. 69,549 In France January 15, 1948 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in devices formed by at least one pair of rollers arranged to constitute a trough-shaped reservoir for containing a liquid substance.

It is known to form from two rotary rollers which are in contact with one another along a horizontal generatrix thereabove a reservoir intended to receive dyes or other fluid, semi-fluid or pasty materials. Such roller-reservoir system is used, for example, for dyeing or dressing fabrics.

In such reservoir system it is difficult to prevent leakage of the liquid or fluid in axial direction of the rollers, since in order to obtain the desired liquid-tightness, suificient pressure must be exerted in an axial direction against the end faces of the rollers, thereby causing excessive wear thereof. Furthermore, such clamping pressure must be as uniform as possible so as to ensure fluid-tightness.

The device according to the invention, which provides perfect liquid-tightness while reducing wear to a minimum, comprises, on each end face of the rollers which form a reservoir, 2. waterproof cheek or flange and further pressing means, and also a completely or partly flexible waterproof jacket which is filled with a compressed elastic substance, said jacket being arranged between the rear face of the cheek and said pressing means so as to press the check in fluid-tight manner against the end faces of the rollers.

According to another feature of the invention,

2 the elastic substance that fills the jacket may be sponge rubber or similar spongy material.

According to a further feature of the invention, the check has a certain degree of flexibility.

According to another feature of the invention, Y

being inflated and/or during operation of the device.

According to another feature of the invention,

According to a further feature of the invention, the aforesaid system including a cheek, pressing means and a jacket may be stationary and symmetrical with respect to the rollers with which it is adapted to co-operate.

According to a still further feature of the invention, the jacket may be equipped with a pressure-gauge that enables the pressure inside it to be constantly checked.

Other features and advantages of the invention will moreover become apparent from the ensuing description; reference will be made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view of a first embodiment with a rotary cheek.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment with a stationary cheek.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IVIV of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 shows a third embodiment with a rotary cheek adapted to co-operate with three rollers.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises two rotary rollers I and 2 which are adapted to rotate about their shafts 3 and 4 respectively. The rollers are in contact with one another along a generatrix 5 so as to form above said generatrix a reservoir 6 to be filled with liquid, for example.

The reservoir 6 is laterally defined by implements having plates or cheeks T and 8 which are coaxial with the shafts 3 and 4, respectively, and are adapted to rotate as a unit therewith, but are able to effect an axial sliding movement.

The shafts 3 and 4 furthermore support casings 9 and I0 respectively, which are secured to the respective shaft by any suitable means (not shown) Each of the casings 9 and I9 contains and supports a flexible Waterproof element ll formed of rubber or fabric, which is fixed in a liquid or fluid-tight manner on the rear face of the plates or checks 7 or 3. An annular chamber I3 is thus obtained which is defined by the element I I, the rear face of the cheek and the bottom of the casing. These chambers It may be filled with compressed air by means of tube connections I4 or [5, respectively, which are connected for this purpose to a pump or the like. The connections l4 and 15 are provided with retaining valves (not shown) in such a manner that the chambers I3 always remain filled with compressed air. A pressure-gauge (not shown) mounted on the supply pipe enables the pressure in the chamber l3 to be measured.

Owing to the fact that the casings 9 and it are secured to their respective shafts, while the cheeks l and 8, respectively, can slide in the axial direction, said cheeks are pressed in axial and radial directions against the end faces of the rollers I and 2 by the pressure exerted in the chamber 53. Each cheek or plate member has a contact surface which is positionedadjacent said end faces of said rollers and a pressure receiving inner surface which is positioned within casing 9 or it and remote from said. contact surface.

It should be noted that the cheeks are thus subjected to a uniform pressure which ensures that they are liquid-tightly pressed against the rotary rollers. The liquid-tight effect is further in creased by providing the cheeks with a certain degree of flexibility that enables them still more readily to conform to the shape of the end surfaces of the rollers.

It should be noted that in the foregoing embodiment, the entire fluid-tight device or implement is adapted to rotate as a unit with one of the rollers forming the reservoir, thereby enabling wear to be reduced owing to the fact that the relative movement between the liquidtight cheek and the roller to which it is secured is zero, and is comparatively small between the cheek and the other roller to which it i not secured.

The roller-reservoir system shown in Figs. 3 and 4 comprises two rollers l8 and it which are adapted to rotate about their shafts l8 and 2| respectively. Said rollers are in contact with one another along a generatrix 22 so as to form a reservoir 23 above said generatrix. The lateral liquid-tight devices or implements comprise a cheek M, a casing 25 which is open on the side facing the rollers, and a flexible waterproof jacket 26 fixed in a liquid-tight manner on the rear face of the check 24. A liquid-tight chamber 21 is thus obtained which can be inflated by means of a tube connection 28 provided with a retaining valve and a pressure-gauge 2%, which enables the pressure in the chamber 2'? to be constantly checked and observed.

The operation of this device corresponds to that of the device of Figs. 1 and 2. The cheeks 24 are pressed by the compressed air that fills the chambers 2'! against the end faces of the rollers I8 and I9 so as to bound in a liquidtight manner the reservoir 23 formed above the contact generatrix 22. Contrary to the device of Figs. 1 and 2, the system that forms the liquid-tight device in Figs. 3 and 4 is stationary and does not participate in the movement of the rollers, thereby enabling the pressure in the chambers 21 to be observed and adjusted during operation, and for this purpose said chambers may furthermore be provided with a discharge device.

It should furthermore be noted that the cheeks 24 and the casings 25, instead of being shaped as in Fig. 3, may also be of circular shape in order to facilitate their manufacture.

Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the liquid-tight device adapted to co-operate with three rollers 30, 3|, 32 which rotate about their respective shafts 3%, 3V, 32 so as to be in contact with one another along generatrix lines 33 and 34 in such a manner as to form above said generatrix lines the separate reservoirs 35 and 3B. Said reservoirs contain, for example, a dye liquid and, when the rollers are rotating, a fabric or like material that enters the device at 3'! and leaves it at 38 passes through said reservoirs.

The liquid-tight device or implement provided on either side of the rollers comprises a circular cheek as which is adapted to rotate together with the shaft 3% of the medial roller 3| but can slide on said shaft, and also a casing 4!] similar to the casings s and iii of Figs. 1 and 2, and a flexible jacket (not shown) interposed between the rear face of the cheek 39 and the bottom of the casing 4!! in the same manner as the jacket II of Fig. 2.

The operation of this device is identical to that of the device of Figs. 1 and 2, the only difference being that each cheek simultaneously co-operates with the end faces of all three rollers.

It is of course to be understood that the embodiments hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings are only given by way of mere non-limitative examples and that it is possible to alter in any suitable manner the shape, the nature, the arrangement and the mounting of their elements without thereby exceeding the scope of the invention. Thus, the compressed substance that presses the cheeks, against the rollers need not necessarily be air but may also be another fluid such as oil or the like or even a spongy product such as sponge rubber or the like. The flexible elements defining the air chamber may form a separate and independent system interposed between the cheek and the bottom of the casing, which is advantageous for assembling and dismantling and also for manufacturing the device.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device for application to at least one pair of rollers contacting each other along a common generatrix of said rollers to thereby form above said generatrix a trough-shaped reservoir; comprising plate means having an outer surface for contact with one end face of one of said rollers, said outer surface extending at least partly to the adjacent end face of the other roller, and pressing means in operative contact with said plate means and comprising an expansible resilient chamber adapted to be filled with a compressible substance, to press said plate means against said end faces of said rollers, and means supporting and enclosing said chamber.

2. In a device according to claim 1, including means connected to said chamber for controlling and adjusting the pressure of said compressible substance during inflation of said chamber, as Well as during operation of said rollers.

3. In a device according to claim 1, wherein said plate means is made of a material having resiliency.

4. A reservoir forming device for containin a liquid comprising at least two rollers arranged for rotation and for contact with each other along a common generatrix thereof, plate means arranged for position in endwise relation to and against said two rollers to thereby bound at least one end of said reservoir defined by said generatrix thereabove and between said rollers, expansible resilient chamber means backing said plate means, and means to expand said expansible chamber means, whereby pressure may be exerted against said plate means for fluid-tight 7. A device according to claim 4, said means to 10 expand said expansible chamber means including means admitting compressed air into said chamber means, and means controlling the pressure of said air within said chamber means.

JULIEN DUNGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Karrer Feb. 13 193 i Dungler June 13, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Great Britain Date Se t. 'l, 1911 

